


The Truth Can Be Hard To Swallow

by miss_grey



Series: What We Do In The Dark [8]
Category: Band of Brothers
Genre: Angst, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Pre-Slash, Slow Burn, Sort Of, Supernatural AU - Freeform, healer gene, poor babe, witch gene
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-28
Updated: 2019-05-28
Packaged: 2020-03-20 18:48:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,321
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18998413
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/miss_grey/pseuds/miss_grey
Summary: Babe never imagined that a single trip to Louisiana would turn his world upside down, but here he is.





	The Truth Can Be Hard To Swallow

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you all are enjoying this series! I'm having so much fun writing it!

 

 

Babe gaped at Gene from across the room and the half-wall partition of the kitchen.  “What the hell do you mean, _demons?!”_

Gene frowned.  “I mean demons.”  He shoved a hand through his dark locks.  “Your package will have to wait.”  He added.  “This is more urgent.”

Babe stared as Gene went to one of the shelves and pulled out a book with a brown leather cover.  It looked old.  “So, uh…” Babe cleared his throat.  “Demons, huh?”  He asked warily, not wanting to provoke the obviously insane (but beautiful) man.  “What are you gonna do about those?”

Gene frowned down at the book, eyebrows furrowed.  “Not much you can do, really.”  He said, flipping a page.  “Can’t kill ‘em.  Least, not normally.  All you can do, most times, is send ‘em back to Hell.  But these hunters need a ward.”  He glanced up at Babe, briefly.  “I just gotta check the wordin’, here.  It wasn’t made for them, so I gotta tweak it.”

Babe continued to gape.  “Ward?”

Gene huffed and looked up at Babe once more.  “Yeah, you know.  To keep things out.  Ain’t you heard of a ward before?”

“No!”  Babe shouted.  He stood.  “Seriously, what the hell are you talking about?”

Gene shut the book and set it down.  He took a single step toward Babe.  “I’m gonna kill Bill Guanere.”  He growled.  “You really don’t know anythin’, do ya?  He sent you out here without tellin’ you anythin’ at all, didn’t he?”

“He just said I was supposed to pick up a package from you!”

Gene folded his arms.  “What _is_ the package?  Please tell me you know that.”

Babe shifted uncomfortably.  “I wasn’t gonna say anything, but I mean… some kind of drugs, right?  Like… you’re some sort of premium dealer or somethin’?”

Gene scoffed, his lips twisting in offense.  “Drugs?  Me?”  He waved his hand as if to brush the notion away.  “No.  It’s medicine.  For yo’ whole pack.  Because they asked me.”

Babe folded his own arms, feeling real defensive now.  “Pack.  You keep using that word.  What do you even mean by that?”

Gene took another couple steps closer so that he was right up in Babe’s space.  He leaned close and sniffed once more, lightly.  “You smell just like ‘em.  Don’t you know your people are wolves?”

“Wolves?  What the fuck?”  Babe snapped.  This guy was _definitely_ crazy.  What a goddamn shame. 

“Werewolves.”  Gene said steadily.  “The Philly pack are werewolves.”

“Werewolves!  Oh my God, you’re insane!”  Babe cried, taking a step back.  “What am I, then?  _What are you?_   Some crazy voodoo witch doctor?”

Gene’s frown smoothed out into something patient and maybe even…sympathetic.  “You?”  Gene shook his head.  “Yo’ just a human, Edward.  A human who’s apparently been lied to fo’ a long time.”

“And you?  Answer me.  What are you?”

Gene stared at Babe through the growing darkness of the living room, his eyes even darker.  He shrugged.  “I’m just a guy who’s tryin’ ta help.”

“No,” Babe said, shaking his head.  “This is insane.  Crazy!”  He stumbled backward, then turned and fled out the door.  He leapt down the porch steps and when his feet hit the ground, he realized, very suddenly, that it had grown dark in the hours he’d been inside Gene’s home.  The dark was dense, pressing close all around him.  And he became acutely aware that the swamp was all around him, and the roads were long and confusing, and his cell phone didn’t work out here.  He took a deep, shuddering breath, his hands clenched into fists at his sides as he tried to discern the shape of his car in the darkness.  But as he tried to concentrate, he became aware of something else.  Hissing and scratching sounds, growls seeming to come from everywhere.  And eyes.  Red and yellow eyes gleaming out at him from the darkness.  “Oh, God.”  He gasped.  He took a step back and turned, his eyes searching for a way out.

Gene leaned against the porch rail behind him, dark, patient eyes trained on Babe.  “They can’t get to you here,” Gene murmured, his deep voice miraculously carrying over the other noises.  “Come back inside, Edward,” Gene suggested.  “And I’ll do my best to explain some things.”

Babe shuddered, terrified, and feeling very lost and confused.  He clutched his left wrist with his right hand until it hurt.  “I need to call Bill.”

“That’s fine,” Gene said, “I’ll let you use my phone.”  He held out a hand.  “Come on,” he coaxed.  “There ain’t nothin’ fo’ you out here.”

Babe shivered, despite the thick, hot air pressing in on him.  “Alright.”  He muttered, and allowed Gene to usher him back into the house. 

 

 

 

Once inside, Babe folded his arms protectively in front of himself.  “I need to call Bill.”  He muttered.

“Here,” Gene said, motioning him over to the phone.  Christ, it was old.  Babe took the warm plastic from Gene’s hand and pressed his back into the wall so that he could keep his eyes on the other man.  He felt a strange mix of terrified and deflated, like Gene might snap and kill him at any moment, but Babe couldn’t seem to summon the energy to care too much.  He heaved a deep sigh and dialed in Bill’s number.

The phone rang twice before Bill picked up.  “Hello?  Who’s this?”

“Bill.”  Babe said, throat tight with emotion.

“Babe?  Is that you?  What’s goin’ on?  Where you at?”

“Bill,” Babe said, “I’m having a crazy day.  I’m dreaming, I think.  Gene said the craziest thing, Bill.  He said you’re a werewolf.”  A laugh burst out of Babe’s mouth—he sounded unhinged, he knew that.  “He said the guys in the neighborhood are werewolves.  Isn’t that insane?!  Bill, why didn’t you tell me that this guy was crazy?”

Across the room, Gene leaned against the wall and stared at Babe.  His dark eyes were fathomless.

“Babe….” Bill started, like Babe was easy to startle.  “Babe… what’s goin’ on?  Are you alright?”

“Didn’t you hear what I said?!”  Babe shouted.  “Werewolves, Bill!  Crazy, right?”

“Babe.”  The line was quiet for too long.  Then, “Babe… please tell me this is a joke.”

“That’s what I’m sayin’, Bill!  This guy is crazy.”

“Goddamnit, Babe.”  Bill cursed.  “How could you not know?”

“What?”  Babe almost dropped the phone, but he caught it at the last minute.  “What do you mean?”

“Babe… we _are_ werewolves.  How the fuck did you not know that?”

Babe’s mouth opened and closed, silently, for a moment.  He felt his eyes welling with hysterical tears.  “How the fuck would I know that, huh, Bill?!”

“Well what the hell did you _think_ was goin’ on?!”  Bill barked.

Tears spilled over the rims of Babe’s eyes, and his voice rose indignantly as he snarled “I thought you all were _wiseguys,_ Bill.  Fuckin’ mafia!  Not werewolves!”

Bill cursed again.  “Well… it’s a bit of both, if I’m bein’ honest, Babe.”

Babe gulped, his throat feeling impossibly thick with tears.  “And this package?  What is it?”

“It’s medicine, Babe.  It keeps us from forcibly transforming on the full moons.  The Doc is the only one who can make it.”

Babe stared across the kitchen at the beautiful, dark-eyed mystery who leaned against the wall and stared back.  “You sent me here alone.”  Babe whispered, voice wrecked.

Bill sighed and suddenly he sounded helpless.  “The Doc only allows humans in, Babe.  It was either you or Julian.  Or, God forbid, one of the younger guys.  I trust you more than anyone, Babe.  It had to be you.”

Babe snorted.  “You trust me more than anyone, huh, Bill?  You’ve been lying to me for my whole goddamn life.”  Babe shook his head.  “I gotta go.”

“Babe, wait!”  Bill called, but Babe settled the phone back into the cradle.

It rang immediately after.  Babe ignored it and Gene made no move to cross the room and answer it.

“I’m sorry,” Gene said.

Babe nodded, but he felt devastated.  He couldn’t bring himself to move, or do anything, really.  He slid down the wall and huddled there, his knees pulled up to his chest.  He bowed his head and allowed the tears to fall silently.

Across the room, he heard Gene swear softly, then bustle around a bit.  Babe ignored him.  How much worse could it get, really?

Babe wasn’t sure how long he was consumed in his own frustration, anger, and grief, but eventually, a soft hand landed on his shoulder.  Babe sniffled and glanced up, tears tracing down his blotchy red cheeks.  Gene crouched in front of him and held out a steaming mug.  “Drink this,” Gene ordered.  “It’ll help.”

Babe nodded and took the mug numbly.  The heat of the ceramic was nice, even if it burned his hands a little bit.  Babe took a sip.  He tasted honey and cinnamon.  He gazed at Gene over the rim and the other man settled on the floor in front of him.  “Thanks.”  Babe said, willing the tears away.

“’Course.”  Gene nodded.

“It’s crazy,” Babe muttered.  “All of this is crazy.  My best friend… all of my friends.  Everyone I know… they all lied to me.”  He blinked.  “You’re the only one who told me the truth.”

Gene just continued to stare, and Babe wished he knew what the other man was thinking.

“I don’t know what to say to them.  I don’t know how I’m supposed to just go back there, now.”  Babe took another tentative sip of the tea and he felt his shoulders relax.  “I just…I feel so stupid.”

“You’re a trustin’ soul,” Gene murmured.  “Ain’t no shame in that.”  Gene sighed.  “You drink that up, and I’ll make up the couch fo’ you.  You’ll feel betta after you’ve slept.”  As Gene stood, Babe reached out and grabbed his hand.  He felt a jolt go through his body and he shuddered.  Gene’s eyes widened minutely, and Babe wondered if that meant he felt it, too.  “Thanks, Gene.  Really.  You have no reason to be this nice to me.”

Gene frowned, but traced his thumb softly over Babe’s hand before he pulled away.  “It don’t cost anythin’ to be kind, Edward.”  His dark eyes were a comfort now, as they stared down at Babe.  Deep, but soft.  Understanding.  “Come on, let’s get you settled.”

Gene piled the couch with pillows and old, obviously hand-made quilts.  And when Babe settled himself into their softness, his eyelids flickered once, twice, and then he was asleep.

 

 

* * *

 

 

Babe woke to sunlight and low murmuring.  He cracked his eyes open, expecting to see the inside of his bedroom, but reality seeped in slowly.  A small, cluttered room, with books and bottles strewn everywhere.  And seated in the middle of the floor was Gene, surrounded by books and plants.  Babe thought about saying _fuck it_ and just going back to sleep, but strangely, he _did_ feel a bit better.  More stable.  So he sat up and stretched, instead.

Gene’s dark eyes flickered toward him and his lips tugged up into a small smile.  “Mornin’, Edward.  How’d ya sleep?”

“Deep.”  Babe said.  “That tea really did the trick.”

Gene nodded, then went back to his work.  “Usually does.”  He drawled.

Babe pulled his legs up to his chest and folded his arms across his knees.  He gazed down at the other man.  “What are you workin’ on?”

Gene waved vaguely.  “Ward again.”

“Again?”

Gene hummed. “Yeah.  Finished it a few hours ago.  But then befo’ you woke up, they called back askin’ for somethin’ else.”

Babe frowned.  “Somethin’ else?  Like what?”

Gene snorted, shaking his head.  “Exception fo’ a vampire.”  He met Babe’s eyes, briefly.  “I told Harry that was the stupidest thing I ever heard, but he insisted.”  He waved his hand vaguely.  “So now I’m tryin’ to write them a spell that’ll keep everythin’ except for one specific vampire out.”  He huffed.  “Damn fools.”

Babe watched him work for a few minutes, before he cleared his voice and ventured: “So this is what you do, huh?

Gene nodded, once.  “This is what I do.”

“You make…medicines and…spells…for people?”

“Sometimes.”

Babe glanced around the living room again and saw the place anew: thick old books, herbs hung in bunches from the ceiling, bottles and jars with peeling labels, and a wide, open hearth.  “Are you a witch?”

Gene glanced up and his brows furrowed.  “No.”  His dark eyes fixed on Babe’s.  “I’m not a witch.  I’m a doctor.  I fix things.  I help people.  I _protect_ people.”  He insisted.

Babe nodded.  “Isn’t that…magic, though?”  He asked, waving toward Gene’s project.

Gene shrugged.  “Some people call it that.”

“And you?”

Gene’s eyes flickered away from Babe’s and back toward his work.  “I don’t know.  I’ve always been like this.  And my ma befo’ me, and hers befo’ her.”  Gene shook his head.  “It ain’t me, though, Edward.  It’s a gift from God.”

Babe stared at the man as he worked.  “And so you help people with it.  This gift.”

“I do.”

“And what do you get out of it?”  Babe glanced around at the meager belongings in Gene’s home.  “Do you sell these things?”

“No,” Gene said.  “It ain’t right to take payment.  It ain’t right.  Not everyone who needs help can pay fo’ it.  Don’t mean they don’t need the help.”  His long, pale fingers shuffled through brittle, aged papers.  “And it ain’t my gift to sell, like I said.”

Babe frowned.  “So you do all this work for free?”

Gene shook his head.  “The neighbors help me with other things when I need it.”

“Wow,” Babe said.  He contemplated the other man silently for a while before shaking his head softly.  “You sure are somethin’ else, Gene.”

Gene glanced up at him and after seeing the look on Babe’s face, he allowed himself the hint of a smile.  “You too, Edward.”

**Author's Note:**

> Comments are love. Please let me know what you think, and feel free to come find me on tumblr @realhunterswearplaid.


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